Most Expensive Items to Sell at A Farm Auction

Rare antique tractors and other farm equipment are known to bring world record prices. Farm auctions are breaking their own record high prices with these items. Here are a few things to look for when buying, using, collecting, and selling at a farm auction.

Check out the auction house

A farm auction held one summer had collected 193 old tractors, parts of tractors, grain binders, threshing machines, and much more. The former owner started collecting the equipment in the mid-1950s. The most expensive item was a Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co. 22-44-3644 which sold for $75,000, unrestored and missing a radiator.

Another farm auction sold a 1912 International Harvester Mogul Jr. 15-25 for $462,000. In years past, a 1924 Deere 26-inch spoke Model D sold for $75,000. Today, it has tripled its price auctioning off at $225,000. There was also a 360 Case that sold for $420,000. 

If you have a rare tractor, farm equipment, or are a collector, now is the time to find a reliable auction house that can sell your farm equipment for the highest price ever.

Consider online farm auctions

Most farm auctions, like car auctions, are simulcast online, so buyers living elsewhere can bid on any item in real-time. Farm auctions are a great place to sell your tractors and all types of farm equipment. These can be beneficial for someone who doesn’t have a lot of their own items to auction off or for those who don’t want to move their farm equipment to a central site.

Online auctions also open many doors to more international buyers and real growth opportunities to sell your farm equipment.

How to know what tractor to look for at auctions

For many collectors, it’s very exciting to see rare tractors! Some buyers will bid on the tractors for the thrill of the win. They also like knowing they are only current caretakers until they can pass them on to get a new record price.

For example, back in the 1970s, some farmers could buy a Farmall Gold Demo and a dealership would repair the tractor- thus it became the 826 model. It was called the Gold Demonstrator promo and was marketed to help push the sales of the 544, 656, 826, 1026, and 1456 models. Only a few of each model was painted gold during this promo and shipped to dealerships nationwide. 

The idea behind this promo was to get the tractors working in fields worldwide in hopes of convincing farmers to upgrade their machines. When the promo was over the tractors were sold as demo units by the dealerships. Many of these tractors were repainted after they were sold. But, if someone liked the original paint and they were going to purchase the machine, it would not get repainted.

Finding an original gold demo

One way of telling if you are buying an original Gold Demo to sell at a farm auction is to look under the hood. You’ll want to keep an eye out for IH Truck Gold Metallic 4357 paint. Most of the time, the underside of the hood does not get repainted by the dealership. Another way to see if a tractor is an original Gold Demo is to look for a black operator’s console. 

Once you know these two factors are there, check the serial number and make sure it’s a 70 model. Even though Gold Demos are hard to find, these tips can give you a good idea as to whether or not the tractor is an authentic Gold Demo. 

Other rare tractors to sell at a farm auction

While the Gold Demo is a “flashy” tractor you can find at farm equipment auctions, there are others. They are known for their usefulness, durability, and collectibility. 

The Allis Chalmers G and 616 Cotton Picker

The Allis Chalmers G is not super rare but a cool little tractor. Between 1948-1955, only 30,000 of the Allis Chalmers G were produced. They were made in large quantities and very quickly. The G is a lightweight tractor weighing only about 1300 pounds. The weight was placed over the rear wheels so it would not lose traction.

Allis sold the G as an all-in-one system. With it, farmers could purchase a slew of row crop implements like tillage and planters. These were held by a couple of wedge pins, making them easy to change in five minutes.

The Allis Chalmers G, along with its five counterparts, were very popular on veggie farms back in the day. Farmers still use these tractors today because they are useful, easy to work on, and parts are still available and fairly inexpensive.

At some farm auction, you can sell your rare Allis Chalmers 616 Cotton Picker for big money.  They were one of four major players in the cotton harvesting market back in the sixties.

The IH 986

In the late ’70s, the 986 was a bread-and-butter tractor. Between 1976-1981, IH turned out over 20,000 of these workhorses. The 986 was the biggest of the naturally aspirated models and quite popular with hay farmers in the Midwest. If owners take good care of them, there will always be a strong market at farm auctions and good selling prices.

The Two Twenty tractor

The Two Twenty tractor was built in 1969. Only 934 were built in that first year. It was known as the big horse crop tractor. Mechanically, it is rock solid and if you own one, it is a good tractor that will bring you money at a farm equipment auction.

Farm equipment auctions in the Texas Panhandle

If you are a collector, farm items could be the most expensive items to sell at a farm auction. If you are interested in selling your items, call the experts at High Plains Auctioneers at 806-244-6776. If you aren’t ready to sell anything yet, check out their upcoming auctions to find a unique treasure!